09/07/2026
It is officially CLIMB WEEK for the 2026 Tri-Cities 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Presented by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol! We have had an overwhelming amount of support from the community and each climber that has taken the time to register. Please take the time to read over the information in this email regarding the day of the climb.
ONLINE REGISTRATION HAS BEEN SUSPENDED to allow us to build out the teams. If you have someone who wants to climb, they can register at either one of our Packet Pick-Up Events OR the morning of the climb.
We would like to ask that if you are able to pick up your bags and attend either of our Packet Pick-up events, it will make things much easier on our volunteers and climbers. You can pick up for your friends if need be, but please be patient with everyone. We have 700+ people to run through. The morning of the event is always super busy!
Please arrive EARLY! Car pool if possible. On-site Registration and Packet Pick-up will run until 8:45 AM to allow our volunteers to watch Opening Ceremonies.
We also hope you will be sure to visit our Vendor Booths at the event the morning of the climb. Many will be giving out items, and we hope you stop by and thank them for being part of the event.
FB Event Page for the Climb:
https://www.facebook.com/events/997264809338234
9/10/26: Pre-Climb Packet Pick-Up Sponsored by ATMOS at High Voltage Kingsport
• 101 Cherokee St. Suite 30 (Entrance on Main Street) Kingsport, TN
• From 5p-8p on Thursday, September 10th, 2026
• FB Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1706737570589140
• Allows you to SKIP Climber Check-In on Saturday Morning and report directly to Staging
• Pick-up your shirt/coin/bag before the climb
• $1 per pint will be donated to NFFF
• Music from Well Dogs
• The One Saigon will be serving dinner.
• Merch WILL be sold at this event.
9/11/26: Pre-Climb Packet Pick-Up Event at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino BRISTOL (OPEN TO ALL AGES)
• 500 Gate City Highway, Bristol, VA, 24201
• From 5p-8p on Friday, September 11th, 2026
• Pick up your shirt/coin/bag before the climb
• FB Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1377960241767345
• You’ll can enter the STUDIO entrance around back, into the hallway, proceed up the escalator to the Marketplace. There will be signage directing you. If you do enter through the main entrance (21+), proceed back to the Marketplace.
09/12/26: Climber Check-In at Bristol Motor Speedway
• If you can’t make it to High Voltage or Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Pick up your Packet at the event.
• Check-In at the event will be set up from 7AM- 845AM before Opening Ceremonies
• IF YOU ARRIVE LATE, WE WILL SUSPEND CHECK-IN DURING OPENING CEREMONIES.
• PLEASE Arrive Early to be able to have plenty of time to find your staging area.
• When you arrive, there will be a few designated signs to assist in directing you. If you have any questions, find a Volunteer. Many of them will be wearing this year’s GRAY Volunteer Shirt.
• Climbers will receive a Bag with a T-shirt/Challenge Coin/Helmet Sticker/ First Responder ID Tag if you registered before August 17th. If you registered after the t-shirt cut-off date, you will receive all items except the shirt.
We would like to encourage climbers to take photos of their teams and of the event. We will be using the hashtag: for those of you posting on social media. This will allow everyone to quickly search for photos taken at the event.
Staging
As most of you are aware, you had the opportunity to REGISTER with a Team. If you did not register with a team but have a team or individuals that you would like to climb with, that is fine. Join them in their staging area. There will be designated staging spots with Team Name/Numbers. (See attached list) After arriving or checking in, please stow your equipment in these spaces. If you are not climbing with a team there will be a staging area marked Individuals. We will call all the individual climbers up first to lead us in the climb. We will also stagger the start by sending a few teams at a time into the stairwell. Please be patient with us, as we are doing this to help eliminate standing on the steps.
Climbing Route
• We will lead climbers to the first stairwell that will lead to the concourse area of the track. Climbers will then enter the grandstands and continue down, over, up, etc. until they are directed to continue down the stairs and return to the up stairwell for the next loop.
• IF you count the UPS and DOWNS, you will make 2 full laps, and then climb the exterior set of stairs before climbing back down to ring the bell. IF you count ONLY the ups, you will do 5 FULL laps. We will have signage to assist with this.
• If a slower climber is in front of you in the Stadium, you may step to the left of the handrail on the UP stairs and then step back in line after passing.
• Once you have finished the climb route please ring the bell next to the stage and say the name of the first responder that you have climbed for.
• At the end of the event, please go to the stage to have your team or individual photo taken. These are provided FREE thanks to our amazing photo team!
Lunch
• Operation BBQ Relief will be smoking meat for the climbers, and after the climb, you can pick-up your FREE To-Go packaged lunch at the Operation BBQ tent/trailer. This will allow climbers to grab their lunch before leaving the event.
General Reminders
• WATER has been provided for ALL climbers by SmAsh Meals. As they are our Water Sponsor, we ask that climbers not bring WATER of their own. We have 2,800 bottles of water available on-site which will be plenty for all of you!
• Please be mindful and courteous of all the other climbers. There is the potential for back-ups, and please work with us on this.
• We will have a REHAB area located on the Parking Lot level next to the Bristol Tower. Please utilize this area to rest, cool, and recover. Please refrain from resting in the climb route to allow other climbers the appropriate room. If you need to, step aside in the stands away from the steps.
• MEDICAL will be on-site, and if anyone has any MEDICAL needs…see a volunteer in a GRAY shirt or a Ballad Health Employee!
• We will have a few vendor booths set-up. Please take the time to thank these sponsors for supporting our event and drop by their booths.
• Please try to discard water bottles and trash in the cans provided. The Bristol Motor Speedway has graciously let us use their facility, and we want to take care of it! They have a NASCAR race the following weekend, so it is extremely important that we clean up after ourselves.
• This is not a race. Take your time. Remember what this event is about. We are climbing to remember each individual that is clipped to your person on the tag. Take the time to do so.
We look forward to seeing you at one of our events this week!
-Tri-Cities 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Committee
